Exterminate!
Sorry, couldn't resist.
iRobot, provider of ground warbots to the US forces and purveyor of domestic droids to the comfortably off consumer, has struck a deal allowing it to use laser-scanning technology in its future designs. Reports have it that the kit could be in use in 2009; though this would be with the military, not on the company's famous line …
...Lewis says Ladar
If, as the first page of Google seems pretty much agrees on, RADAR derives from RAdio Detection And Ranging (which seems sensible, and the only controversy I can remember reading about is whether it's actually an acronym proper, which it isn't), then the laser version depends on whether you want to be specific about the distinction between Light and Laser
"LIght Detection And Ranging" gives "LIDAR"
"LAser Detection And Ranging" gives "LADAR"
there isn't much of either in use currently, so it'll probably depend on the first widespread actual usage of the abbreviation, unless people get really vocal about it. LADAR is probably more accurate, but LIDAR is more phonetically distinct if you're in an environment where it's important to distinguish.
They're both EMDAR or ELDAR, anyway.
But not people safe and I think you know why. Radar my arse. Heat sensor more like, and it goes like this. Torch a fleshie, and you have a clear and precise heat sensitive marker.
The frightening thought is that it'll only take 5ns to torch its interweb-controlled human slaves, which no doubt will be ordered into buildings to stand next to obstructions and either side of entrances.
quote: there isn't much of either in use currently,
Wrong actually. Russians have been playing with it for more than 10+ years now though from a completely different perspective. LiDAR is one of the few technological methods to allow the detection and precise identification of aerosols. They ran series of space experiments and they also have gone past acceptance testing for army equipment to detect biological and chemical weapons using this methods. By the way - they use the LiDAR abbreviation.
I am surprised that the DARPA and QuinetiQ gravy trains have missed this boat.
due to the lower speed, 100KHz and up Ultrasound is equivalent to Microwave RADAR.
100KHz sound = 3mm wavelength equivalent to 100GHz Radar.
500KHz sound would be 0.6mm wavelength which would be excellent in room resolution.
Ultrasound seems to have been stuck at about 50KHz max for the last 30 years. Is it simply not fashionable?
Admittedly doppler shift is 1 Million times worse I think than light used for ranging.